If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

I remember thinking GOW could have used more combat at times. And I was also disappointed in the amount of stealth in HZD but since Iím almost done that I will just have to keep that in mind.

Is the story weak so far?

Typical Tomb Raider fare. Searching for trinket, Trinity and it's new boss are searching for same trinket, you meet at the same place at the exact same time, rinse repeat. Laura is pretty one track mind when it comes to find the treasure, screw everything else. Event happens and she changes for a split second only to go back onto looking for the trinket, rinse repeat. There is an exception where you go through like five stages of her personality, then as expected, gotta find that trinket. You will know it when you play it and probably laugh throughout because it seems at times like the writers did not want to hamstring her but it's Laura Freaking Croft, Tomb Raider. Tomb Raiders need to Raid Tombs. Nathan Drake is the same mold so I tend to expect this from both series. Both are psychopaths with an obsession for shinny things. There have only been a few games where I actually gave two shits about the story. The Witcher 3, TLOU and Red Dead Redemption. If I want a good story, I hit Netflix/Amazon Prime and watch British TV.

As an example of the stealth in the game, midway through the game, there is about 20-30 guys you have to beat using only stealth since you only have a knife. They felt this was not stealthy enough so they throw in a new character type that has night vision googles, so no hiding in bushes and you will spotted instantly if they are looking your way as you move from solid object to next solid object. It was a slog but you get a really cool reward for getting past these guys. Guns just seem to do more damage in this game, so it is best to fight them this way throughout. There are other enemies that do not use guns which in turn allows you to some bow/gunplay. One nice addition is that some Tombs actually have enemies as you are trying to figure out what to do.

TLOU was a great story. I remember being blown away by UC1 in terms of story. Uncharted (outside the third one) has always had an interesting story for me. The first TR was good too except how they told it. Those collectable tapes/journals was a poor media imo. A great story isn't a requirement but it being interesting or having a cool twist is something I like. Open World games tend to lack good stories and become fetch quests to complete map icons. I don't like side quests to feel like chores that block the advancement of a good story/main mission.

I should add that I can still like open world. I liked AC Black Flag, Mordor (but quit part way through the sequel) and a lot of these types of games including HZD I would call open world. I probably just get burnt out on certain styles after awhile and need a break.

All 9 Challenge Tombs completed. A few good ones in the bunch but a few relied too heavily on tactics from previous games tombs. I think the pirate ship was my favorite. Only had to look up a solution once. It was a confusing final step. There is logic to the solution but it was the farthest thing from my mind.

Finished the game. Wacky ending is wackier than usual. There were no major fights that were a QTE fest, which was a plus for me (something both Uncharted and TR are guilty of far too often). I would say it was around an 7.5 out of 10. Good game, great graphics but the lack of combat for long periods of time and heavy focus on stealth were not for me. Still not fond of the, "Unable to enter area because you do not have "X" ability yet." To make it even worse they have certain paths in the game that are blocked out, yet you will see treasures, coin caches, etc, right on the path. Going to save you a bunch of time that I wasted endless hours trying to find a path that does not exist. It does exist but only opens up after you start a specific side mission. There were about 5 of these and is just lazy game development. Holes in walls magically appear once a side quest is started.

Ended up with about 95% of all treasures, caches, relics, etc done. Will go through it and clean the rest up over time. Going to start a new game + and run through it on hard difficulty. Something to keep me busy till the Season Pass stuff comes out

Welp, not going to play it on hard (Deadly Obsession). Was reading that the only saves are the campfires and one slip up has you going all the way back, people are losing up to an hour of gameplay for one simple slip up, as it takes you back to the last campfire. Even on normal I had plenty of traversal deaths due to glitchy jumps and the axe not sticking. Will just wait for the new Tomb's and Paths to pop up, apparently one a month starting in October.

I do agree that the game could have been smarter about blocking you from certain paths. Even at the beginning seeing big white font saying I need an axe to go here or whatever breaks the immersion just a tad lol. Just have Lara talk to herself saying I need an axe would be better. This series has never done the story as well as UC although I thought the premise of the first game (and subsequent movie) was good. I honesty feel this game tried to make it different from UC but had more misses than hits in doing so. I really dislike the story telling being done through finding journals and reading stuff. Lara could at least comment on what I found while I continue to play instead of pausing and reading. HZD did too much of that too.

This game is pretty although Lara hair textures at times look bad. PS3 quality on my normal PS4. One scene looked like their were four separate chunks of polygons for hair. Was just odd when so many things look good and then this clunky stuff stands out.

The game is very exploration based. I’ve also died a lot in platforming either due to bad jumps or not knowing where to go. The audio isn’t great in spots. The NPC characters in this jungle village are way louder than the rest of the game. And I don’t like that Jonah starts talking and if I move away I can’t hear him well. He should follow me around a little better lol. Still very early in the game. Not much combat so far. The story is nothing special and they didn’t even seem to try. Trinity is doing something bad. Stop them.

You were correct. I'm 25% in and there is barely any combat. And most of the scenarios are set up with stealth in mind. I find it funny that it says to hit SQUARE to cover yourself in mud but it only lets you do that if combat is coming. I can walk through muck while exploring and can't do it. And it is odd that you can find a crypt while exploring and see that white cpu writing that says I can't go there because I haven't progressed far enough. I think I'm still pretty early in the game so I don't think I've really unlocked what is supposed to be a major hub I guess. I'm in Peru and doing the Trial of the Eagle right now (like 5 of the 14 levels in the game). You can explore but the world doesn't feel really big. I liked how Uncharted transported you around the world more and it was more combat based and fun that way.

I have enjoyed playing this game but there is nothing special going on either.

This game is so mediocre. The story is weak, combat scarce and platforming a bit frustrating at times. This could have been so much better. Instead I think it’s the weakest of the 3 games so far. I am largely playing it because I paid for it. I think I would have enjoyed replaying UC4 instead. There is just nothing special about this game. Over halfway through the main missions as I’m on 14/21. Maybe everything picks up but I won’t hold my breath.

Haven't dove into this one yet but bought at launch because I enjoyed the 1st two sooo much. Sadly, your negative impressions seem to be pretty common and apparently spot on so I'm not looking forward to it but will try to slog through it just to finish the trilogy.

Some of the stealth areas are poorly designed. I’m only armed with a knife, I kill a guy with a gun but can’t pick up the gun? Why? Simply because the game doesn’t want me too.

There are a number of good RPG options but I can’t help but feel there are too many as the game isn’t long enough to even use half the stuff they provide. Lots of scavenging and upgrading but I’m not sure it really feels useful enough with the lack of combat. Maybe that is designed for NG+. The game is finishing up when you finally get some things. You should be able to sell weapons back to vendors, even at reduced prices. Bought a shotgun and it’s not even as good as the one I had.

CLW, there are a number of people that still love the game. I’m not one of them but don’t let that hold you back. I’d just advise you to wait on a good sale. I got it for C$50 instead of $80 over here. That makes me feel better. This game is a 6.5 or 7 for me. If Naughty Dog made this game it would have been so much better. The story is too weak. Little reason to go from point A to B other than being forced to. I do think they mixed in the linear aspect of a story and giving you freedom to explore a bit better than the last one. It just feels like this game was made by a B team instead of an A team.

It is amazing to me that some massive structures and “hidden” areas are in the back yard of these tribes and undiscovered all this time lol. You can make that claim about Uncharted to a degree as well but not like this. I think the TR team wanted to keep everything largely in one spot to keep the map connected and allow for exploration but it also makes the total area smaller and stuff like this is a bit unavoidable. Just glad the diaper wearing Peru natives can speak English so well!

On a less sarcastic note I’m in the final chapter. I’ve barely done any side stuff and that is a mistake. I have virtually no upgraded outfits as a result and haven’t unlocked many tomb RPG elements. I think the game should have had more combat in the story so that it makes me want to relax more and explore. Instead the first half of the game lacks so much combat I don’t want to spend any more time just screwing around. The game is definitely more for the exploration type gamers.